


A Never Ending Killing Game

by FutureFamousAuthor108



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Danganronpa AU, Death, Multi, Murder, People are gonna die, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FutureFamousAuthor108/pseuds/FutureFamousAuthor108
Summary: Danganronpa AU. When Jeremy received a letter inviting him to attend the prestigious Hope’s Peak High School, he never thought that stepping inside the school would be his biggest regret. Before he knows it, Jeremy’s thrown into a twisted game, where murder is the only escape.
Relationships: Christine Canigula/Jeremy Heere, Heather Duke/Heather McNamara, Jason "J. D." Dean/Veronica Sawyer, Jeremy Heere/Brooke Lohst
Comments: 11
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Hope’s Peak High School...the legendary school that accepted only the best, the ultimate students.

Jeremy had no idea how he’d been lucky enough to be accepted.

In fact, the only reason he had been accepted was because of his ultimate luck. Or at least, that’s what the letter he and his dad had received called it. Apparently there was an annual lottery for students that didn’t quite fit the “ultimate” type, and Jeremy had been lucky enough to win.

So here he stood, in front of the gigantic school, so large it was practically intimidating. Jeremy couldn’t imagine himself, a loser, attending school with all these ultimate students. He wouldn’t ever match up, no matter how much he tried.

Still, the ultimate lucky student had to count for something, right?

Jeremy uneasily pushed against the large crooked metal gates, flinching at the loud screeching sound they made. It sounded almost as if they were giving him a warning to run away...that he didn’t belong at such a prestigious school.

Jeremy shook those thoughts away as he cautiously took his first steps into the grand school, peering around at the seemingly empty hallway. It was eerily silent, save for the wind rushing through as he shoved open the large wooden doors. They quickly closed shut behind him, almost as if they were magnetized.

Weird…

Still, Jeremy persisted, taking an uneasy step forward, his knees wobbling in fear against his will. “Hello?” He called out, his voice sounding small in the large hallway. He was met with more eerie silence, making him sweat with worry.

Where was everyone?

Jeremy began to wring his hands, which had quickly become cold and clammy. After all, it didn’t take much to stress him out. If it weren’t for his best friend Michael, (who was also supposed to be attending Hope’s Peak as the ultimate gamer) Jeremy would be completely and utterly hopeless.

As Jeremy took another hesitant step forward, his vision blurred, sending him into disarray.

“Huh?”

He stumbled backwards in confusion as the hallway began to spiral around him, making him dizzy. He could feel himself falling and his vision began to darken, no matter how hard he tried to blink back to focus.

Jeremy tried to yell out, but his voice wouldn’t work, as if it had just been shut off by some unnatural power. He groaned as his head hit the floor and he was knocked into unconsciousness.

—

“W-Wha…?”

Jeremy groaned, slowly raising his head off of the desk below him. He blinked, his surroundings slowly coming into focus. He seemed to be in a classroom, sitting at a desk, which was strange, since he didn’t even remember getting more than a few steps into the school, let alone a classroom.

Jeremy’s eyes widened once he saw the large metal plates covering the windows around the classroom, nailed down leaving no escape. As Jeremy tried to wrap his head around why there would be metal plates covering the windows, he spotted a security camera near the clock on the wall, seemingly watching him.

Jeremy shivered at the thought of someone watching him. Why would there be security cameras in a classroom?

He quickly shoved his chair behind him and ran over to the plated windows. Breathing heavily, he tugged hard at them, but they wouldn’t give way no matter how hard he tried.

Feeling defeated, Jeremy turned back to his desk, only to spot a folded piece of paper by the foot of the chair.

“Huh?”

Hesitantly, Jeremy reached down and snatched the paper and unfolded it, quickly ready the words, which were scribbled in neat cursive in black.

“Welcome to Hope’s Peak High School.” Jeremy read aloud, growing more and more confused as he read on. “Gather in the gym at eight for the welcoming ceremony? But that’s—” Jeremy broke from his reading and glanced up at the clock before him, his hands trembling as he read the time.  
“Ten minutes ago!” He stammered, realizing how late he was going to be. His stomach filled with dread at the thought of being that kid.

Great, he was barely ten minutes into his new school year and he’d already messed up.

Stuffing the note into the pocket of his jeans, Jeremy quickly sped towards the door, desperately glancing this way and that. All he needed now was to get lost and be even more late!

Thankfully, there were signs atop of each door, indicating what each room held. As Jeremy ran, he took note of the gaming room, which seemed to hold many arcade machines, similar to the ones back at home.

_Michael’s gonna love that._

Finally, he came to two doors marked “gym” in bold lettering. He nervously pushed them open, scared of what awaited him inside.

This is it. The moment where he went from boring Jeremy to Jeremy, the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Jeremy shoved open the doors to find the gym filled with other teens his age, all chatting happily. He immediately felt small, sure he didn’t belong.

Starting to have second thoughts, Jeremy took a step backwards, already planning out his excuse as to why he couldn’t attend Hope’s Peak, but a loud, cheery voice stopped him.

“Jeremy! You made it!”

Jeremy was attacked with a monster hug that threatened to knock him to the ground. He immediately broke out into a grin, relieved to see his best friend. “Michael!” Jeremy exclaimed, hugging his best friend tightly, relief washing over him. “How long did I keep you waiting?” He asked as he pulled away, eyeing the other teens in the classroom. Most were busy chatting amongst themselves, but one seemed to be watching Jeremy with heavy interest.

As Michael talked, Jeremy found himself staring at the girl with strange curiosity. He knew her from somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place the memory.

Suddenly, it hit him.

“Michael, is that Brooke Lohst?” Jeremy asked, interrupting Michael’s little spiel about slushies and 7/11. He nodded his head towards the girl as he spoke, making sure not to point and seem like a creep.

Michael scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion as he glanced at the girl, who turned away as soon as he met her eyes. Then, his eyes widened in recognition. “It is! We went to middle school school with her, remember? I think she’s the ultimate actress or something.”

“Ultimate actress…” Jeremy trailed off in disbelief, unable to process the talent that all these teens held. Each was special in their own unique way. There was the Ultimate Gamer (Michael), Ultimate Actress, Ultimate Cheerleader, Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, Ultimate Football Player, Ultimate Swimmer...even an Ultimate Fanfiction Creator.

As Jeremy glanced around at his new classmates, he tried to guess which each one had which talent. It was harder than he’d first thought. It wasn’t like they all carried around signs that said “Ultimate Swimmer” or “Ultimate Analyst”. All Jeremy could do was guess.

“Don't worry, buddy. You and I will stick together.” Michael reassured him, slinging his arm around Jeremy. “We make it a two player game, right?”

That did reassure Jeremy a bit and he allowed himself to relax a little. “Right.” He replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He wondered how long they would have to wait until a teacher or their principal appeared. A lot of the teens seemed to share Jeremy’s impatience as they muttered among themselves.

“This is so not what I signed up for.” A tall girl grumbled, arms crossed over her chest in an impatient manner. She looked quite intimidating in her red blazer and skirt. In fact, her whole outfit was red, from the scrunchie tying back her hair all the way down to her red and black criss cross knee highs. Jeremy found her very beautiful, but in a deadly way, like she wasn’t someone to mess with. She seemed to carry an air of wealth as she talked, in a very commanding manner. Two other girls flocked her, both notably shorter, one in all green, the other in all yellow (too much yellow for Jeremy’s preference).

“Agreed.” The girl in green spoke, scowling as she tried to mimic the taller girl’s movements. She didn’t look nearly as scary, but still gave off a vibe that sent shivers down Jeremy’s spine.

“Maybe they’re just late?” The yellow one asked, not really sounding too sure of herself. She didn’t seem intimidating in the slightest, a cheery smile plastered on her pretty face. She held her hands out in front of her, wringing them nervously. She teetered backwards as the red one, obviously the leader, rolled her eyes.

“Well they’d better hurry the hell up. This is starting to seem like a waste of time and money.” She huffed, ignoring the nervous glances the other two shared. Even they seemed to be scared of her, which gave Jeremy the impression that these three were not to be messed with.

Jeremy turned his focus to Brooke, who’d sparked a conversation with two other girls: Chloe and Jenna. Jeremy also knew them from middle school. Chloe had been the most popular girl, snagging all the cute guys in the class while Brooke and Jenna stood by, overshadowed by Chloe’s great popularity. Jenna had been the gossip, collecting everyone’s secrets and spreading them around like wildfire. She wasn’t exactly close with Chloe or Brooke, but she was the class gossip and had info on everyone. She stuck with Chloe and Brooke like an annoying pest, following them wherever they went, even if she didn’t feel included.

And then there was Brooke. Brooke had been Jeremy’s biggest crush...his dream girl. She was popular, cute, and entrancing. Sadly, she never noticed him, since he was all the way at the bottom of the ranks with Michael.

There was no way a girl like Brooke would fall for a guy like him.

Jeremy gulped as Brooke caught his eye and smiled, genuinely smiled at him. He could feel his face growing hot and probably turning as red as a tomato, but he couldn’t look away, especially when she began to make her way over to him.

“Er—Hey, Brooke!” Jeremy stammered, practically stumbling over the simple sentence. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, keeping his eyes focused on Brooke’s neck, afraid he’d make things awkward if he stared into her eyes.

Brooke laughed merrily, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she watched Jeremy freak out. Next to Jeremy, Michael smiled, hoping Jeremy’s confidence would arise. “Hey, Brooke, what’s up?”

Brooke shrugged, her straight blonde hair falling perfectly on her shoulders. “Eh, Chloe’s pissed that they’re fifteen minutes late.” She explained, glancing back at Chloe, who seemed to be yelling at Jenna about something. “Anyway, you were in my middle school, right, Jerry?” She asked, reaching out to squeeze Jeremy’s shoulder.

Jeremy looked ready to pass out right there and then.

“Yep! We both were!” Michael chimed in, saving his friend from stammering all over again. “And his name is actually Jeremy, not Jerry.” He added, grinning at his best friend, who blinked, but didn’t say anything. He seemed to be having trouble forming sentences, something that happened whenever a cute girl showed up.

Brooke frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “It is? I could’ve sworn...” She trailed off, her confident composure slightly wavering.

“Mr Greene’s English class!” Jeremy suddenly blurted out, his face turning a darker shade of red as both Brooke and Michael gave him confused looks. “That’s, uh, the class we had together.” He added, momentarily looking proud of himself for remembering.

Brooke gasped, her lips parting to form a wide smile. “You’re right! You sat behind me!” She exclaimed, reaching out to squeeze Jeremy’s arm again, sending Jeremy back into freak out mode.

“Er—Yeah! Yeah, I did.” He stammered, cursing himself for being such a stumbling mess around girls. Especially girls like Brooke. “It’s nice to know some people here, eh?”

Brooke nodded in agreement. “Yeah, some look kinda scary.” She said, glancing at the girls in red, green, and yellow, who were gossiping amongst themselves. “Those three look ready to snap any minute.” She murmured, fear creeping into her usually calm voice.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them. I mean, you’re Brooke Lost, Ultimate Actress!” Jeremy said quickly, hoping to reassure her in some way. “How are they better than that?”

Brooke shrugged. “Chloe says the three of them make a mean trio. Apparently they’re called the Heathers.”

“Wait...all three of them are named Heather?” Michael asked with disbelief, glancing at the trio of girls.

Brooke shrugged again. “I guess. Kinda weird if you ask me.” She trailed off, turning back to Jeremy again. “Man, I wish the principal would hurry up, don’t you?” She asked, glancing around at the room.

As if on cue, the loudspeakers screeched horribly, making Jeremy and everyone else cover their ears.

“Testing, testing!” The loudspeakers screeched, practically piercing Jeremy’s eardrums. “Everybody hear me okay on this thing?”

“Huh?”

Everyone turned their gaze to the stage, where the loudspeakers stood. A podium sat in the center, probably meant for the principal of the school.

“See, we’re fine!” A tall, muscular teen called out. He wore a varsity football jacket with the name “Kurt Kelly” stitched into the back, a football tucked underneath his arm. He looked like a bully and apparently a pervert too, as Jeremy spotted him sneaking looks at Heather’s short yellow skirt.

“Then where’s the principal?” An Asian girl nearby Jeremy asked. She had short wavy black hair and wore pink leggings, a green dress with a flower on the front, and a jean jacket. She looked like she was all dressed up for first grade, but Jeremy found it kind of cute. He squinted, wondering where he’d seen her face, before remembering her as Christine Canigula, the Ultimate Broadway Star. She had an amazing voice and a promising career as a Broadway star.

“Obviously not here, genius.” A short guy spoke, his hair spiked up in an edgy haircut, a few tattoos trailing up his arms. He looked pretty buff and wore a blue tie dye tank top and camo pants. Jeremy recognized him as Rich Goranski, the Ultimate Biker. He remembered reading about him and his ultimate biker gang in the newspapers...and the trouble they caused.

“Oh my god, Veronica, we’re all gonna die as prisoners in here.” A chubby, but nice looking girl stammered, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She didn’t seem to care about what she looked like, as she wore a unicorn sweater and had her hair tied up in a bright pink scrunchie.

“Don’t be silly, Martha.” A girl next to her, probably Veronica, spoke, giving the chubby girl a reassuring smile. She wore a blue blazer, a grey skirt, and blue knee high socks, kind of matching the Heathers’ uniform. She looked nice enough and seemed to be friends with Martha. “We’re not prisoners...this is just probably how they do things around here in Hope’s Peak!”

“Well, you’re half right.” A tall, thin boy remarked, his eyes glimmering mysteriously. He wore a long black trench coat that swooshed as he moved to lean against the wall. Jeremy caught his eye and quickly looked away, goosebumps crawling up and down his arms. Something about him made Jeremy very uncomfortable.

“Huh?”

Before anyone could respond, a spot on top of the stage opened up and out jumped...a stuffed bear?


	2. Good Old Fashioned Murder

Chapter Two: Good Old Fashioned Murder

Shouts of dismay arose, echoing around the gym. 

“Oh settle down.” The stuffed bear said, sounding annoyed. The bear was half black, half white, drawn straight through the middle. On the white side, the bear’s expression held an innocent smile and a bright eye, but on the dark side, the smile curved all the way upwards into a crooked smirk, the eye red, surrounded by a jagged scar. 

“I know what you’re all thinking and no, I’m not a high tech Build A Bear reject!” The bear exclaimed, his voice raspy and annoyingly high pitched. “I’m the principal of this prestigious institution, Monokuma!” The bear did a little bow, seeming to enjoy his dramatic entrance. “Pleased to meet ya!” 

The bear was met with silence, as all the teens stared back in him in shock and dismay, unable to believe their eyes.

“This—This can’t be happening!” The yellow clad Heather stammered, taking a step backwards in fear. 

Monokuma laughed, but his laugh seemed mocking, like he enjoyed watching the girl panic. “Oh, but it is, sweetheart!” 

“But...this doesn’t make any sense.” Jeremy mumbled to himself, unable to tear his eyes away from the talking stuffed bear. 

“Yes, yes, like nothing you’ve ever seen before, uncanny, unsettling even! Yada yada yada, moving along,” Monokuma rambled on, dismissing Jeremy with a wave of his paw. “Now all of you stand at attention! Give Principal your snappiest good morning!”

No one spoke or even moved.

“You sure are a cheery bunch, aren’t you?” Monokuma jeered, sounding disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm from his students. “Anyway, welcome to your new living quarters! Now, before you get all uppity, rest assured, it’s for your own good!” He continued, to the dismay of his students.

“Hold on—” Jeremy spoke up, only to be cut off by Chloe.

“I don’t think so!” She growled, looking angry, but Monokuma ignored her.

“So now you’re wondering how long you’ll be guests of our program! Approximately...the rest of your lives!” 

“What?” The red Heather seethed, her hands forming fists. 

“You—You can’t be serious!” Veronica stammered, her eyes wide in horror at the thought of being a prisoner at Hope’s Peak.

Jeremy glanced at Michael, who seemed to be just as scared as he was. 

“You mean we’re—we’re trapped? Like, forever?” The yellow Heather stammered, clutching her arms over her chest and shivering a little. Jeremy felt bad for her. She had seemed all cheery two seconds ago, but her mind had quickly transformed into a state of panic.

Veronica, slung an arm around the smaller girl, her emotionless expression unchanged. Heather stiffened at her touch, but ultimately seemed to calm down a little at the comfort of the taller girl.

“Awww don’t fret. This school has a very large budget. Your needs will be satisfied and we’ll make sure you’re entertained!” Monokuma replied, grinning down at Heather, who trembled. 

“That’s not the problem!” Brooke exclaimed, her eyes wide in horror. “What about our families...our lives outside?” 

“Actually for those who wish to leave, there is a loophole!” Monokuma replied, his eyes glinting mischievously. 

“Enlighten us, then.” The boy in the black trench coat said, glaring daggers at Monokuma, who grinned wide.

“Good old fashioned murder!” Monokuma exclaimed, leaping off the stage in a graceful way, flipping before landing right on his feet. “Any student who kills another classmate, and gets away with it, will graduate! Beat, stab, club, slice, torch, crush, strangle, curse…” Monokuma rambled on faster and faster, practically jumping up and down in excitement. “Get away with any of those and you’ll be outta here faster than you can say loophole!” 

The teens gaped at him in horror, eyes wide in shock. 

“You—You’re crazy!” Rich yelled out, running a hand through his spiky hair. “No way any of us are gonna do that!” 

Monokuma jumped gleefully into the air, grinning wide. “Of course you are! Feel free to plan, twist, plot to kill!” 

A tall, muscular boy wearing a swim jacket with the name “Ram Sweeney” marked on the back marched up to Monokuma and seized him by the neck. “You let us outta here or else I’ll—” He growled, only to be cut off by Monokuma’s shrill shouting.

“School rules promptly state that no harm must come to the principal under any circumstances!” Monokuma screamed, waving his arms all about. Then, his eyes glowed red and began to make a loud beeping noise, beaming brightly.

“Uh, guys?” The Ultimate Swimmer glanced around, looking uncertain of what to do. The beeping grew faster and louder in Ram’s shaking hands.

“Fuck, you’ve gotta toss it!” The boy in the black trench coat yelled, his trench coat swooshing as he ran over to the swimmer, who was growing more and more confused by the minute.

“Huh?”

“Just trust me, toss it!” 

Ram quickly tossed the beeping Monokuma into the air, and just as it flew out of his grasp, the bear exploded in the air, sending the swimmer a few steps backwards as he let out a gasp. 

“It would’ve blown my face off!” Ram yelled out, his voice strangled in a mixture of fear and confusion.

“So the teddy bear’s kaput?” The green Heather asked cautiously, glancing down at the burning wreckage on the gym floor.

“Not a teddy bear!” 

Everyone gasped as Monokuma jumped out onto the stage, as good as new. 

“You son of a—”

“Consider that a warning.” Monokuma said, glaring down at Ram, who froze, his eyes wide in fear. “Anyone who harms the principal will be punished! And let’s just say punishment here is...very unpleasant.” 

Ram’s confidence quickly faded and he trembled as he struggled to process what just happened. 

“Anyway, welcome to your new home! I hope ya take my loophole in mind. Have fun!” 

With that, Monokuma jumped and the stage underneath him opened up. He disappeared down the hole, which quickly closed up, as if nothing had happened.

The gym was completely silent, everyone still reeling from the new situation before them.

“This can’t be happening!” Christine exclaimed, beginning to hyperventilate. “I have things to do, play rehearsals to attend, Broadway shows to see!” 

“And I’ve got baseball games to play!” Jake Dillinger, Ultimate Baseball Player cried out, running his hands through his hair, looking stressed out beyond belief. “I’m gonna flip my shit if there’s no other way outta here!” 

“This is absolute bullshit!” Kurt complained, twisting the football in his hands. “There’s no way!”

“Well apparently there is.” The trench coat kid said, drawing the attention towards himself with his cold tone. “Whether we like it or not, Monokuma pit us all against each other. Sooner or later, one of us will die at the hands of another.”

The room went silent as everyone stared at each other suspiciously. Jeremy could see the hope draining away from his classmates’ faces as they realized everyone else in that room had quickly become a potential enemy.

Jeremy realized, at that moment, that his and his classmates’ lives would be changed forever. He found it hard to believe that any of his classmates would even ponder the thought of murdering another, but he couldn’t get rid of the sinking feeling of dread in his stomach as he thought about never seeing the outside world again. Never seeing his dad, his house, his old life...it sounded horrible.

Still, would someone really kill to have it back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was kinda short. I promise the next one will be longer!


	3. Exploring His New Living Quarters...and Classmates

“Looks like these metal plates are here to stay.” Heather McNamara groaned as she tugged uselessly on a metal plate covering the large windows all around the gym. For a skinny girl with the height of about five foot three, she sure was stronger than she looked, since she didn’t need much help pulling herself onto top of the tall window ledge. 

“Are you sure? Maybe if you try some more they’ll come loose.” Kurt Kelly said, grinning up at Heather, or rather her underneath her skirt, which he had a full view of, since he was right underneath her from where she stood on top of the window ledge. 

Heather Duke slapped his arm, scowling hard. “God, you’re such a pervert.” 

“No luck here either.” Veronica called from the back of the room, past the stage, where she and Martha had been trying to pry open the back door which most likely led outside. 

Jeremy groaned, sinking into the floor next to Michael, who seemed weirdly relaxed about the whole thing after sitting down and mulling it over. “I can’t believe this is happening...how are you so chill about this?” He asked, glancing at his best friend, who grinned wide.

“Cause I figured out that the whole thing is a prank. You know, like the stuff you see on reality tv shows. You watch, in an hour, that Monokuma robot is gonna come out and tell us we’ve all been pranked and the whole thing was broadcast on live tv!” Michael explained, resting his head on Jeremy’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Plus, you and I will stick together, right?”

Jeremy nodded slowly, not totally believing Michael’s theory. “Sure…” He trailed off as he noticed an argument starting between Heather Chandler, and JD.

“I’m not going anywhere with anyone but myself!” JD said calmly, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trench coat. “I don’t give a shit what you do, but you can’t make me do anything!” 

“Well maybe we don’t trust you going off alone!” Heather Chandler cut in, hands on her hips in an aggressive manner. “How do we know you’re not planning to sneak away and try and murder us while we’re off investigating?” 

JD snorted. “Trust me, it wouldn’t be hard to murder you.” 

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” Ram growled, grabbing JD’s collar. JD didn’t look scared of Ram and instead smirked, seeming to find the whole thing amusing. 

Jeremy quickly stood up and ran over, coming between the two. “Hey, let’s not fight!” He exclaimed, his sudden confidence quickly fading as both JD and Ram turned to him, looking annoyed with his interfering. 

“What did you just say to me, nerd?” Ram seethed, stepping up to Jeremy, who gulped. Ram was almost a head taller than him and could probably beat him to a pulp. 

“Hey, Jeremy’s just trying to help.” Michael cut in, rising to Jeremy’s defense. 

“He can help by buzzing off!”

“Calm down, no need to get your boxers in a twist.” Heather Chandler said, rolling her eyes at Ram’s immaturity. “You can punch Jerry—”

“Jeremy—.”

“—some other time. Right now we need to focus on the task at hand.” Chandler’s steel blue eyes flashed dangerously, making Jeremy’s blood run cold. “We should investigate the school...in groups, of course, to see if there’s any chance of escape.” 

No one dared challenge her command. After all, she was the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy. She was on a whole different level than everyone else...richer, smarter, and meant to win.

“Then it’s settled. We go in groups.” Heather McNamara said warily, glancing to Chandler as if she needed permission to speak. Chandler nodded and the smaller girl continued to speak. “How about we go in groups of two and three and meet back up in the dining hall?” She suggested, giving everyone a cheery smile, seeming to be back to her normal, upbeat self again.

“Sounds good to me.” Jake replied with a grin, giving Heather a thumbs up. 

“Hey, Jeremy?” 

Jeremy whirled around to see Brooke, who let out a little chuckle as his eyes widened. “Brooke! Er—What’s up?” He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He hoped his voice didn’t sound as high pitched to her as it did to him. 

“Oh, I was just wondering...do you wanna team up to investigate?” She asked, giving Jeremy a hopeful smile that made his knees go weak.

“Uh—Yeah! Of course!” Jeremy stammered, giving Brooke a stupid grin. God, he was probably making such a fool of himself.

Brooke broke out in a wide smile. “Yay! It’ll be a lot of fun, just you and me.” 

Jeremy’s stomach plummeted, realizing Brooke wanted to go with just him alone. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest at the thought of being alone with Brooke, the girl he’d crushed on for years. But still, he couldn’t leave Michael alone, could he?

Jeremy glanced back at Michael, who had started a conversation with Martha and Veronica. 

He couldn’t leave him all alone, could he?

Jeremy stuffed his hands into his pockets as he turned back to Brooke, giving her a nervous grin. “Sure, Brooke. Just you and me.” He felt a twinge of guilt, knowing he’d just left his best friend alone for a girl.

Jeremy was basically Brutus and he’d just stabbed Michael with the sword of betrayal.

—

“Come on, Jeremy!” Brooke called from across the classroom. She seemed very eager to start investigating. 

Jeremy gave a sideways glance to Michael, who now stood by himself, watching as Rich and Kurt tried their luck at pulling off the nailed down metal plates.

God, Michael was gonna hate him for this.

“Sorry, Michael.” Jeremy muttered as he glanced back at Brooke, who stood by the door. “Uh, coming!”

As they walked, Jeremy kept changing the position of his hands, uncertain of what Brooke thought of him. He couldn’t decide whether to stuff them in his pockets or leave them at his sides. He finally settled on leaving them in his pockets, no matter how awkward it made him seem. 

“What’s that?” Brooke asked, pointing to a room to their left. It was locked down by a metal security gate. Jeremy peered through the gate and spotted a large trash heap next to an incinerator. 

“Seems like the trash room.” 

The two continued on their search, but ultimately found nothing that led to an escape route and decided to head to the dining hall.

“Do you think the Heathers will be disappointed that we didn’t find anything?” Brooke asked as they came into view of the dining hall. 

Jeremy shrugged. “I’m sure no one else found anything worthwhile either.” He replied, pushing open the dining hall doors.

“And then I caught the football, made a touchdown, and basically saved the game.” Kurt Kelly boasted, his feet up on the table as he leaned back in his seat. He kept tossing the ball into the air, catching it easily and looked proud of himself as he saw how impressed his audience was of his football feats.

“That’s amazing, bro!” Ram exclaimed, clapping Kurt’s shoulder. “I’m more of a swimmer, but football seems cool.”

“So...you really caught the football from all the way across the field?” Chloe asked, looking skeptic of Kurt’s supposed “amazing catch”. “I don’t know...that sounds kinda hard.” 

Kurt grinned, catching his football with one swipe. “Sure did.”

“Nice to see you guys were out investigating with the rest of us.” Heather Duke grumbled as she, Heather McNamara, and Heather Chandler entered the room. They all looked disappointed, so Jeremy assumed they didn’t find any means to escape either.

Kurt tossed the football at Heather Duke, who easily ducked to dodge the football. It went whizzing past her head and hit the wall, bouncing off onto the floor. “Relax, sweetheart, there’s no way to escape this place anyway. Besides, it looked like you had it taken care of.” 

“There is a way to escape this place!” Veronica cut in, entering with Martha. “I’m sure of it!”

“Veronica’s, right.” Heather McNamara chimed in, giving Veronica her peppy cheerleader smile. “I’m sure there’s a way to escape this place.”

Jeremy turned his focus away from the other groups once he spotted Michael sitting alone at the back of the table, drinking a slushie. He looked lonely and Jeremy immediately felt a pang of guilt for leaving him alone.

Jeremy rushed over, taking the chair next to him. “Michael, I’m so sorry, I just—”

“It’s fine, I get it.” Michael gave Jeremy a small smile, looking happy to have the comfort of his friend back. “So how was your alone time with Brooke?” He asked, raising his eyebrows as he sipped from the straw of his blue and red slushie. 

Jeremy grinned, glancing back at Brooke, who was at the other end of the table, talking to Chloe. “Well, not much happened, but it’s still progress.” 

“Good! I’m sure once she gets to know you she’ll fall right in love.” Michael said, giving Jeremy a goofy smile. 

Jeremy playfully shoved him and they both laughed. “Right. Once she gets to know how much of a loser I am.” He joked, leaning back on his chair. 

“You’re not a loser. You’re Player Two and I’m Player One, remember? That’s gotta count for something.” 

“You’ve got that right.”

“Hey, everyone, listen up!” 

Everyone turned their attention to the middle of the table, where Heather Chandler stood tall, Heather McNamara on her left and Heather Duke on her right. “Did anyone discover anything worthwhile?” Chandler asked, her steel blue eyes flashing around the room. She caught Jeremy’s gaze and her eyes narrowed, flashing dangerously.

Jeremy gulped. He sure didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her, that was for sure.

“Well, Jakey D and I found a shit load of food in the kitchens.” Rich said, nudging Jake, who nodded, a stupid grin on his face.

“It was so dope. There’s even a slushie machine.” 

JD’s ears perked up, his scowl turning into a grin. “There’s a slushie machine?” 

Chandler rolled her eyes, looking irritated already. “We get it, Jesse James, you’re a slushie whore. _Moving on… _”__

__“Veronica, Martha, and I found dorms with our names on them. Except they were all locked, which was weird…” Christine piped, glancing down at Veronica and Martha, who both nodded._ _

__“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the keys are somewhere, though.”_ _

__“Maybe Monokuma forgot to give them to us?” Heather McNamara offered, trying to be helpful. Her smile turned into a little frown and Jeremy could see doubt forming in her eyes._ _

__“I did not forget to give them to you!” A shrill voice sounded, echoing around the dining hall._ _

__Christine jumped back as Monokuma jumped down onto the table, seemingly out of nowhere._ _

__“Where’d you even come from?” Martha stuttered, her words coming out in a shocked whisper._ _

__Monokuma dismissed her question with a wave of his paw. “Not important. Now as I was saying, I did not forget to give you your keys. In fact, they’re underneath your door mats!”_ _

__“Our...doormats?” Heather Duke asked, sounding incredulous. She raised an eyebrow at Monokuma, who just nodded, looking bored of the conversation already._ _

__“Yeah, yeah. Now I’d get to your dorm rooms if I were you. Sleeping anywhere but the dorms is strictly prohibited!”_ _

__With that, the bear jumped off the table and waddled out the door, leaving everyone in stunned silence._ _

__“The bear’s right.” Chloe said finally, after a few moments of silence. “We should check out our dorms. See how crappy this place really is.”_ _

__Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement._ _

__“Okay, how about we meet here tomorrow for breakfast?” Heather McNamara suggested, giving everyone a bright smile. “It could be a tradition! Just to make sure we’re all here.”_ _

____And not dead _. ____ _ __

____—_ _ _ _

____Jeremy’s dorm turned out to be pretty boring, besides the gaming counsel and mini fridge filled with soda and ice cream bars._ _ _ _

____“Sweet.” Jeremy remarked as he popped open a can of Coke and took a long swig._ _ _ _

____He still wasn’t sure what to make of the place. For a place that was meant to be a trap, it sure had the luxuries that some only imagined._ _ _ _

____Jeremy turned to his bed table and pulled open the top drawer to find a toolkit._ _ _ _

____“Huh?”_ _ _ _

____Jeremy snatched the toolkit and read the note that came with it._ _ _ _

____“All girls are given a sewing kit with a map of the vital organs and which places one stab would work nicely. All boys are given a toolkit, filled with the tools necessary to kill your fellow students.”_ _ _ _

____Jeremy shook his head as he put the toolkit back into the drawer. “Man they’re literally begging us to kill each other.”_ _ _ _

____He opened the second drawer, which held a small, peculiar device._ _ _ _

____He grabbed the device with one hand, keeping his can of Coke steady with the other._ _ _ _

____The device was small and resembled a phone. Only instead of a home screen, Jeremy’s own info showed up, including his height, weight, age, and talent. The words “Jeremy’s E-Handbook” appeared on the top in bright electric blue lettering._ _ _ _

____As Jeremy tapped away, he also found a map of the school and list of the school rules and regulations, which Jeremy began to rattle off, growing more and more confused._ _ _ _

____“Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, unless they are discovered.” Jeremy read, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What the hell does ‘blackened’ mean? And discovered? Discovered how?”_ _ _ _

____Jeremy felt a headache coming, so he pocketed the e-handbook and turned to his bathroom door, which was closed. He reached out and tried turning the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he tried._ _ _ _

____“Huh, it's not opening. Guess it’s locked.”_ _ _ _

____“Not locked, just stuck!” A shrill voice said from behind Jeremy._ _ _ _

____Jeremy jumped, almost spilling his can of Coke all over the carpet. Behind him stood Monokuma, who looked amused._ _ _ _

____“Wha—Where’d you even come from?” Jeremy exclaimed, glancing at his door, which was now slightly ajar, although Jeremy didn’t remember leaving it open._ _ _ _

____“Nevermind that. I’m here to explain how to open your tricky door. It’s not locked, since only the girls bathroom doors lock. You're just unlucky!” Monokuma said with a laugh, though Jeremy didn’t even crack a smile. “The trick is the lift and turn simultaneously.” Monokuma explained giving Jeremy a wide grin. “Heh...for a lucky student to get such an unlucky door...how ironic indeed!”_ _ _ _

____With that the bear waddled away, leaving Jeremy alone with his unlucky bathroom door._ _ _ _

____“God why me...still, I guess it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.” Jeremy turned to his bathroom door and tried lifting the doorknob as it turned, which surprisingly...worked!_ _ _ _

____The door opened easily, revealing just a normal bathroom, nothing out of the ordinary._ _ _ _

____Jeremy felt his legs aching with exhaust as he realized how tired he was. It had been such a long day, leaving Jeremy with many questions._ _ _ _

____Would he ever escape this place?_ _ _ _

____Still, Jeremy didn’t dwell on his thoughts. He would figure everything out tomorrow, along with his new classmates, or rather, new people he would be forced to live with._ _ _ _

____Once Jeremy’s head hit the pillow, he went out like a light._ _ _ _


	4. I’ll Protect You...Till the Very End

Jeremy awoke to the sound of his doorbell ringing loudly around his ears, something that would _definitely _give him a headache later.__

__“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Jeremy grumbled, tossing away the covers of his bed as he scrambled to get to the door. Thankfully he hadn’t changed into pajamas (he didn’t even have any) so he didn’t have to worry about his visitor, whoever it was, seeing him in anything other than his normal clothes._ _

__He turned the lock on the door and pulled it open to see Heather McNamara, a cheery smile on her face, her blonde curls somehow still perfect._ _

__“Hey...you! I’m just making sure everyone shows up to breakfast today! It’ll be nice if we can have breakfast all together every morning, huh?” Heather exclaimed, stepping into Jeremy’s dorm. She was practically barging in, but Jeremy didn’t really know how to stop her. She was practically like a puppy and you couldn’t really say no to her._ _

__Jeremy blinked, unsure of what to do or say. Being a pretty girl, Heather made him nervous. Not as nervous as Brooke did, but still pretty nervous. Still, Jeremy tried his best to keep it all together._ _

__“Sounds great!”_ _

__“Awesome! See you there!”_ _

__With that, Heather skipped off, probably to go get the others._ _

__Jeremy smiled to himself. She seemed nice enough, unlike the other two Heathers, who just seemed cold and snide. She didn’t seem like she belonged with them, but Jeremy had a feeling she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. She was a Heather, after all._ _

__After grabbing his e-handbook off of his dresser and stuffing it in his pocket, Jeremy headed to the dining hall, wondering what awaited him. It was nice to think that everyone would show up, but he had a feeling some people wouldn't come, no matter how nicely Heather asked._ _

__Still, he had to be hopeful, right?_ _

__When Jeremy stepped inside, he was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone had showed up._ _

__“And there’s Jerry! Yay!” Heather McNamara exclaimed from next to Heather Chandler._ _

__“It's Jeremy…” Jeremy tried, but Heather turned to Heather Duke and began talking to her excitedly. “I give up.”_ _

__As Jeremy scanned the room for Michael, he felt a poke on his shoulder. He turned around to see Brooke, a cup of coffee in her hand. “Brooke! How’d you—how’d you sleep?” Jeremy stammered, feeling his brain turn to mush._ _

__Brooke shrugged and took a sip from her coffee. “Okay...I was wondering if you wanted to go look for weapons with me.” She said quietly, being careful to lower her voice so the others around them wouldn’t hear._ _

__Jeremy’s eyebrows raised, his stomach turning at that word...weapons. “Weapons?” His voice sounded high and squeaky, but still...why would Brooke want a weapon?_ _

__Brooke must’ve realized how bad it sounded, as she quickly scrambled to explain. “Not to harm people! Just in case...you know, to protect myself.”_ _

__“Oh! I get what you mean.” Jeremy lowered his voice, so he didn’t attract the attention of the others. “We can look for something after breakfast, okay?”_ _

__Brooke smiled wide, making Jeremy’s heart flutter. “Okay! I’ll meet you outside after breakfast!” She exclaimed, squeezing Jeremy’s arm once. Then she rushed off to Chloe, who was telling a story to Veronica and Christine, along with Jenna’s help._ _

__“And then Madeline was all like—”_ _

__“I'M TELLING THE STORY, JENNA”_ _

__Jeremy shook his head and headed over to the end of the table, where Michael was deep in conversation with JD._ _

__“Slushies are like the only thing in the world that gives me pleasure.” JD explained, taking a sip from his cherry slushie. “You know, freeze your brain, numb the pain, right?”_ _

__“I totally agree! I love slushies.” Michael happily replied, fiddling with the headphones around his neck. “Oh, hey, Jeremy!” Both boys turned their attention to Jeremy, who took the chair next to Michael._ _

__“Hey...you’re JD, right?” Jeremy eyed JD’s trench coat and its deep pockets. It seemed like one could carry a lot in those pockets. Jeremy had always thought trench coats looked cool, but knew he didn’t have the swagger to pull one off._ _

__JD nodded, taking a long sip from his slushie. “Yep.”_ _

__The three sat in awkward silence for a bit. Jeremy was practically burning in curiosity, but couldn’t figure out what to say. He had so many questions, but he didn’t want to sound weird or creepy, so he just stayed silent. Michael didn’t seem to mind the silence, as he just focused on his slushie._ _

__“Ahem!” Jeremy turned his focus to the middle of the table, where Heather McNamara stood, Chandler and Duke nearby. It seemed like the three never separated. Wherever there was one, the other two were sure to be nearby._ _

__Everyone quickly quieted down and turned their focus to Heather McNamara, who smiled. She glanced at Chandler, who nodded slightly, allowing her to continue. “Heather, Heather, and I were looking over the rules and we were thinking we could have some rules of our own.” Heather explained, glancing back at everyone else._ _

__“Yeah, like maybe a rule where we all eat breakfast together.” Heather Duke cut in, looking eager to speak. Jeremy sensed a bitterness to her, like she was always pushed down by the other two Heathers._ _

__Jake nodded, seeming to think it over. “Sounds good to me. That way we can know everyone’s okay.”_ _

___And not murdered at the hands of a classmate _.__ _ _

____That left an awkward silence that made Jeremy (and probably everyone else) uneasy. The thought of one of his new classmates killing another...it was just horrific._ _ _ _

____“Anyway...how about we explore some more? I passed by some rooms that I really wanna check out.” Heather McNamara exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She resembled an energetic puppy, which was nice compared to everyone else’s glum expressions._ _ _ _

____Heather Duke smiled and opened her mouth to talk, but Chandler quickly cut in before she could even get a word out._ _ _ _

____“Fine, but I decide where we go.”_ _ _ _

____Heather McNamara’s smile deflated, her shoulders slumping forward glumly. Jeremy felt kind of bad for her. It seemed like Chandler controlled the two other Heathers with an iron fist. They probably couldn’t even decide what to eat without asking Chandler first._ _ _ _

____“Woah woah woah, who made you guys the leaders?” Chloe demanded, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked annoyed and Jeremy got the feeling she wasn’t used to being bossed around._ _ _ _

____Chandler raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. “I did. Got a problem?” Next to her, Heather McNamara and Heather Duke straightened their postures, as if they were getting ready for a fight and needed to look as good as possible._ _ _ _

____“Actually, yeah I do.” Chloe’s purple sparkly bomber jacket swooshed as she stood up. She was tall, at least a few inches over Chandler and at least a head over the other two Heathers, but none of them seemed intimidated in the slightest. “Just because you three dress like walking traffic lights—”_ _ _ _

____Heather McNamara gasped, looking offended. Next to her, Heather Duke scowled and Chandler’s eyes further narrowed._ _ _ _

____Jeremy felt like something really bad was about to happen, but all he (and everyone else) could do was watch the argument unfold, too scared to do anything about it._ _ _ _

____“—doesn’t mean you get to rule over us like this is some high school popularity contest. Lives are at stake here, _Heather _.”_ _ _ _ __

____Chandler snorted. “ _Please _. The only thing that’s putting our lives at stake is that horrible excuse for an outfit you’re wearing.”___ _ _ _

______Behind her, both Heather snickered. Chloe’s hands formed fists and she looked ready to punch Chandler right there and then._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m literally gonna—”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“And I think that’s the end of the breakfast meeting today, folks.” Veronica joked, quickly jumping between Chloe and the Heathers._ _ _ _ _ _

______And that was the end of the first breakfast meeting, hosted by the Heathers._ _ _ _ _ _

______—_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Chloe sure was mad, wasn’t she?” Jeremy asked as he and Brooke walked down the long hallways. While everyone else was off looking in the room for something entertaining to do, he and Brooke were on their mission to find a weapon for Brooke to defend herself._ _ _ _ _ _

______Brooke shrugged. “Chloe gets mad over everything. She has a point, though. Those Heathers are taking over everything.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jeremy nodded, not knowing what else to say. He didn’t really want to get involved with the drama. Becoming a prisoner at a place that encouraged you to kill other people to escape was already trouble enough._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Oh, what about the gym?” Jeremy suddenly asked, pointing to the gym at the end of the hallway. “I’m sure there’s gotta be something in there that could serve as a weapon.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Sure!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The two cautiously stepped inside the gym, the door shutting behind them with a loud clang._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Now let’s look for something for you to protect yourself with…” Jeremy mumbled, trailing off as he spotted a glittery gold sword in the open display case. “Woah, is that a sword?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Brooke rushed over and peered at it, then smiled. “I think it’s just a replica. Still pretty impressive though.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Jeremy lifted the sheathed sword off of his holding. “It’s completely covered in gold…” He set it back down and noticed his hands, which were now covered in gold paint. “I barely touched the thing and now my hands are covered in that gold stuff!” He exclaimed, trying to wipe the paint onto his jeans._ _ _ _ _ _

______Brooke laughed, seeming to enjoy being around Jeremy. “Your hands are completely gold! Still...I don’t think the sword would work much.” She trailed off, going deep into thought. “You should take it with you! It could liven up your room a little.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You really think so?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah! But you should probably be careful taking it back. Maybe wrap it in newspaper or something.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Huh.” Jeremy found himself deciding to take the sword after all. After all, Brooke did say he should have it. That was progress!_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I guess there’s not much else here.” Brooke looked disappointed, so disappointed that Jeremy grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight, catching her by surprise._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s not like you need it right away, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______When Brooke didn’t answer, Jeremy continued, giving her a reassuring smile. “Anyways...if anything were to happen, I’d protect you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Brooke smiled at that. “Really?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You bet!” Jeremy replied with a grin, feeling proud of himself for getting close to Brooke. Something about her put him at ease. She was so innocent, so carefree. Jeremy felt like he could do anything around her._ _ _ _ _ _

______He hoped she felt the same way._ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
